Actor Sepideh Moafi has been vocal about Hollywood's pressure to erase her identity, stating that her Iranian heritage is not just a demographic checkmark but a lens through which she views the world. Born in a refugee camp in Germany, Moafi's refusal to erode her identity is seen as a masterclass in professional integrity that Hollywood is starting to study. Her stance is crucial as Hollywood continues to study the subtle "shaving down" of identity in casting offices, which often involves microadjustments such as can be made to make actors from diverse backgrounds more "relatable" to a perceived "Middle American" audience. Moafi’s refusal to play roles where her heritage was not a central plot point, and she refused to let it be ignored. The UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report suggests that while "on-screen" representation is increasing, the quality of this representation lags behind.